Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Living Edition
| Editors: Todd K. Shackelford, Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Cochlea

  • Michael KhalilEmail author
Living reference work entry
First Online:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_987-1
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Synonyms

Inner ear; Organ of Corti

Definition

An important structure in the inner that is responsible for the analysis of sound.

Introduction

The cochlea is a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear and it is responsible to separate sound relating to frequency. Based on evidence from paleontological studies, cochlea seems to have been originated from the basilar papilla (hair-cell epithelium for hearing) of the stem amniotes such as lepidosaurs, archosaurs, and mammals. Further evidence of this statement is from a relative of the ancestors of land-living vertebrates, namely the “living fossil” coelacanth fish Latimeria chalumnae.

Structure of the Cochlea

The cochlea looks like a snail and is comprised of fluid-containing compartments in the form of a spiral, and it contains the organ of Corti, which is the receptor for hearing (Chang and Khana 2013). In humans the cochlea is about 2.5 turns and if it is uncoiled it reaches a length of 3.1–3.3 cm. Its height in humans is 0.5 cm and it...

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References

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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.University of NicosiaNicosiaCyprus

Section editors and affiliations

  • Menelaos Apostolou
    • 1
  1. 1.University of NicosiaNicosiaCyprus